Steel mill workers demand pay hike

Several hundred workers of the PHP Steels Mills yesterday staged a demonstration in front of the factory's main gate at Boro Kumira area in Sitakunda upazila, demanding a salary hike.

The demonstration began at 7am and lasted four hours before it ended at 11am, said Delower Hossain, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sitakunda Police Station.

“Owners assured the agitating workers that steps will be taken the next month to meet the demands of the workers,” the OC said after holding separate meetings with the owners and workers.

“The pay of a newly-appointed or trainee worker of the steel mills ranges from Tk 3,000 to Tk 4,000 a month,” a mill worker told this correspondent, seeking anonymity.

Average wages of an experienced worker is not more than Tk 7,000, he also said.

Except for RMG sector, the absence of government guideline for wages for mill workers, allows owners to decide the pay scale – in most cases too low to afford basic amenities, the worker said.